Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Zhu Qiyu's prediction was correct. Chen Yi was not idle either; he was discussing matters with important officials in the court.

Chen Yi and others had long harbored deep hatred for Wang Zhen and his faction, and their subordinate censors had already collected sufficient evidence of Wang Zhen and his associates' crimes.

Since the Tumu Crisis, Chen Yi had been looking for an opportunity to get rid of this group of treacherous officials.

However, this involves too many things, the most crucial of which is that it involves the emperor.

With the emperor still alive and the Tumu Crisis still unresolved, Wang Zhen and others are unable to take action.

Rushing to convict Wang Zhen and others would indirectly implicate Zhu Qizhen. If Zhu Qizhen were to return unscathed and still be the emperor, the subsequent purge could result in deaths.

Historically, after Zhu Qizhen's restoration, he built the Jingzhong Temple for Wang Zhen and even wanted to exonerate Wang Zhen and posthumously grant him a title, but this was stopped by court officials. Such a treacherous and wicked man who brought disaster to the country and the people deserves to enjoy incense offerings.

It is evident that the court officials had a fairly accurate understanding of Zhu Qizhen, recognizing him as a person with absolutely no moral bottom line.

But Zhu Qizhen's act of knocking on the gate today has completely ignited the anger of the court officials, and the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released.

Chen Yi spoke first: "Gentlemen, this is already a sign of national ruin. Do not harbor any illusions. The court is now in disarray; we must make a plan as soon as possible!"

Wang Zhi nodded and said, "Imperial Censor Chen, please speak frankly!"

Chen Yi's expression hardened, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. He said, "We beg Your Highness to execute Wang Zhen and his faction, to give the people an explanation, and to clarify the nature of the Tumu Crisis. This time, the blame lies with the treacherous officials, not with the civil officials and generals."

"This move also serves to inform the people and soldiers of the capital that the Oirat are not invincible. It is only because of the treacherous officials who caused trouble that the enemy chieftain was able to take advantage of the situation and succeed by sheer luck. If the Oirat dare to come, they will surely be buried beneath the Nine Gates."

The ministers fell into deep thought upon hearing Chen Yi's words, beginning to weigh the consequences of their actions.

The crime lies with the treacherous officials, and Wang Zhen is probably not the only treacherous one. The biggest treacherous official is still knocking on the door, but it cannot be said openly.

Wang Zhi had already made up his mind and asked, "In your opinion, what should be done?"

Chen Yi had been preparing this for a long time, and said, "I will kneel and remonstrate, kill all of Wang Zhen's cronies, and restore order to the court!"

"This matter may put Your Highness in a difficult position. If Your Highness does not accept it, what should we do? May we ask for instructions beforehand?"

Yu Qian ultimately couldn't bear to do it. This would essentially tie Zhu Qiyu to the chariot of the officials. More importantly, if things really came to a head, would the world think that Zhu Qiyu had orchestrated the coup to seize power?

Yu Qian had to speak up for Zhu Qiyu. This enormous disaster was not caused by Zhu Qiyu, so he should not be the one to handle it. If he were to be careless, he would have to take the blame and leave a stain on his reputation.

Zhu Qiyu was born out of wedlock, so if he were to be burdened with some fabricated charges, he would feel extremely uneasy even in the end.

Chen Yi disagreed, saying, "The Prince of Cheng bears the heavy responsibility of overseeing the country, and His Highness cannot shirk this responsibility. As a descendant of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, he has a duty to set things right."

Wang Zhi nodded, agreeing with Chen Yi's view, and advised, "Minister Yu, many of your colleagues also want to see whether His Highness Prince Cheng is truly the ruler of the country. You don't need to say anything more about this matter."

Yu Qian was taken aback upon hearing this. Eliminating Wang Zhen's faction was tantamount to cutting off Zhu Qizhen's ironclad power in the court. If the Prince of Cheng did not move forward, the officials would have to push him up. Otherwise, if Zhu Qizhen returned and killed these officials, it would be impossible for everyone present to do so without being mentally unstable.

He who bears the nation's disgrace is called the master of the state; he who bears the nation's misfortune is called the king of the world.

If Prince Cheng is a stubborn fool, unable to shoulder this responsibility and protect his ministers, then he is not worthy of being entrusted with important matters.

Yu Qian was persuaded and asked, "Then what about the Empress Dowager?"

"The empress dowager must not interfere in politics. I have already stated this to your face today. Moreover, this time we will only punish Wang Zhen's cronies and need not involve others!" Chen Yi was clearly prepared for this. The sudden outburst of anger in Wenhua Hall was not a rash act.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood its meaning. From Empress Dowager Sun's perspective, the best solution would be to leave it unpunished and wait for Zhu Qizhen to return before determining the nature of the matter.

The defeat could be attributed to other reasons, such as the enemy being too fierce, or the blame could be placed on the dead. With so many civil and military officials dying, there must be someone to take the blame. For example, Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo and Duke Zhu Yong of Chengguo would be the best candidates.

Secondly, if Zhu Qizhen or Wang Zhen must bear the blame for the defeat and be the culprit, then it must be Wang Zhen.

As long as the court officials exerted enough pressure, Empress Dowager Sun would not hesitate to sell out Wang Zhen's faction, since her son's reputation was more valuable.

Although Zhu Qizhen had no reputation to speak of at this moment, in Empress Dowager Sun's heart, what mistakes could Zhu Qizhen, as emperor, have made? It was all the fault of these treacherous officials!

Moreover, after the incident of Zhu Qizhen knocking on the door, it is unknown how much confidence Empress Dowager Sun still had to stop him.

Wang Zhi glanced at Hu Ying beside him. Seeing that he did not speak, he took it as tacit agreement and said, "With the country in crisis, we should act according to the circumstances. Now that the matter has been decided, let's go all out. If we can protect the Ming Dynasty and keep the capital from falling, I will not mind dying if something happens in the future."

Wang Zhi, this old celestial official, has now shown some courage and is prepared to take on all the responsibilities himself. If things change, he will be disgraced in his later years.

"The Grand Chancellor!"

Yu Qian felt a surge of respect, but he couldn't bring himself to make someone else take the blame for him, and he wanted to speak up to stop them.

Wang Zhi stopped Yu Qian from speaking, saying, "Minister Yu, the heavy responsibility of guarding the capital falls on your shoulders. You should preserve your integrity and not get involved in this matter. It would be best if you could stay out of it."

Yu Qian hesitated, then could only sigh helplessly.

Admittedly, Wang Zhi's words make sense. If he were to be implicated, how would the defense of the capital be handled? Would the Ming Dynasty perish due to internal strife?

However, the execution of Wang Zhen's faction was imperative, as it would clear the last obstacle for Prince Cheng. The court could only have one voice: defeat the Oirats and drive Esen back to the grasslands.

What the Ming Dynasty needs is not someone who will lead the country to ruin, but someone who can truly lead the Ming Dynasty to revival. At least for now, the Prince of Cheng is more reliable.

The words of the Prince of Cheng that day, instructing his court officials to restore a prosperous era for the people, still echo in my ears.

"Grand Chancellor, I will do as you say."

Wang Zhi then looked at Chen Yi and said, "This matter of remonstrance will be handled by Imperial Censor Chen. We will stabilize the court and ensure the success of this matter!"

"That's the plan!"

Chen Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief; he had waited too long for this moment.

Previously, when Zhu Qizhen was in power, he could do nothing against Wang Zhen. Liu Qiu, a Hanlin scholar, was dismembered and killed before his very eyes. Even censors who met Wang Zhen would be punished if they did not kneel before him and were exiled to a remote and bitterly cold place. He had many other crimes to his name, too numerous to list.

At this moment, Chen Yi felt a sense of exhilaration at the prospect of avenging his great grudge. However, none of the ministers present expected that things would spiral out of control and create a momentous event that would be recorded in history.